Bandung Regent and PAUD Mother Represent Indonesia at ASEAN Children's Education Forum
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANDUNG REGENCY - Bandung Regent Dadang Supriatna, together with the PAUD Mother of Bandung Regency Emma Dety Permanawati, appeared at the international Joint Roadmap event, or roadmap, as an effort to strengthen early childhood education (PAUD) services in the Southeast Asia region.
This husband-and-wife duo was appointed by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemedikdasmen) to represent Indonesia in receiving the ASEAN-SEAMEO Joint Roadmap Document on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in Southeast Asia, at the Sultan Hotel in Tanah Abang, Jakarta, on Thursday (9/4/2026).
“The document we received is a guide for collective efforts in the region to realise equitable access and quality Early Childhood Education (PAUD) in Southeast Asia,” said the Bandung Regent.
The launch of this strategic document, which is the result of collaboration between Kemedikdasmen, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the SEAMEO Secretariat, aims to provide a comprehensive framework as a reference for planning and developing early childhood education and care at both national and regional levels.
Seven Main Priority Areas
Minister of Education Abdul Mu’ti emphasised that this roadmap is a strategic step to encourage integrated improvements in PAUD service quality across countries.
“This roadmap is based on seven main priority areas: expanding equitable access, improving programme quality and learning experiences, strengthening ECCE educators, enhancing governance and cross-sector collaboration, empowering families and communities, leveraging digital innovation, and ensuring sustainable financing,” said Mu’ti.
Mu’ti stated that the launch of this roadmap is a manifestation of the joint commitment of ASEAN countries to advance PAUD as the foundation for human resource development.
The Minister added that this document is not only a strategic reference but also a practical guide that can be adapted by each country according to its national context.
“The compilation of this document reflects our shared vision and collective responsibility to advance PAUD services in the region,” said Mu’ti.
According to him, this roadmap is a follow-up to the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on ECCE that has been adopted. Based on that joint commitment, the preparation of this roadmap is a concrete step to translate aspirations into coordinated and measurable actions.
He emphasised that the main challenge currently is not commitment, but implementation in the field.
“Although this commitment provides a strong foundation, our shared challenge lies in effective implementation. It is very important for us to move beyond policy commitments towards real, inclusive, and sustainable outcomes for all children,” he said.
This roadmap is also equipped with a structured implementation approach, from analysis to evaluation.
“The seven priorities are supported by a phased approach that includes situational analysis, policy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, as well as knowledge sharing,” said Mu’ti.
This approach is expected to help ASEAN countries strengthen PAUD systems in a sustainable and evidence-based manner. Mu’ti stated that Indonesia played the role of initiator in the preparation of this roadmap.
“This is a roadmap created jointly by ASEAN countries with Indonesia as the host or initiator,” he said.
He affirmed that this roadmap is also in line with national programmes, including strengthening education from an early age. Mu’ti hopes that this roadmap will not only become a policy document but will be able to drive real actions across all ASEAN countries.